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Many novice herpers dream of the day they can have their own giant snake to feed and care for, and to watch grow into a magnificent, gigantic beast of a pet that will impress all who behold it. That was certainly the case for me as a high school snake lover. Although my first “big snake” pet was a large bull snake, my dream was for a Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), and by the time I graduated high school, that dream was fulfilled. But as the old saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for…”
Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I did keep and breed a number of Burmese pythons, and also kept some of the other giants, such as reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus), green anacondas (Eunectes murinus), and a large boa or two (Boa constrictor ssp.). But after several years of back breaking lugging around of giant snakes, and super-sized poop scooping, I eventually found the size and colors of corn snakes to be much more appealing! Because of the difficulty of safely and properly housing and caring for the giants (those species that commonly reach more than 10’ in length), because of the increasing amount of regulation regarding species perceived as dangerous, and because of the huge numbers of captive-bred small and medium species of great beginner boas and pythons available in every color and pattern imaginable, I will recommend these smaller species as “best beginner pets” instead of suggesting that you follow in my footsteps, starting with the giants. There will be plenty of time to ‘graduate’ to those later, if you still have the desire after gaining experience with the smaller types of ‘giant snakes’. Remember, most species of boas and pythons will live for 15 – 20 years, OR MORE! They will be your responsibility for a long, long time, so weigh the options carefully before deciding which is right for you!
For those who want an impressive, yet manageable boid (< the collective term for snakes in the boa and python families), I feel that nothing tops the age-old choice of the boa constrictor (Boa constrictor ssp.). Due to the large volume of captive breeding over the past decade or so, and also its huge natural range from northern Mexico through Central America and down into the more temperate areas of Argentina, the species has almost unlimited variations in size and colors. Even personality can range from mellow to rather unfriendly, at least in wild-caught specimens.
Although the typical Colombian boa may easily reach 6 – 8’ or more (especially the females), I have seen a few from various parts of northern South America that were in excess of 12’. So if you choose bloodlines carefully, and maximize growth, you can still have a giant of sorts – if that is what you truly desire. But for most people, the good news is that they can purchase a boa from other lines – perhaps those originating from island races in Central America for example, and end up with a boa that may never top 5’. The smallest of these boas may never require a cage more than 2’ by 4’, while the largest might be best accommodated in a 4 by 8’ cage, or even a walk-in cage.
Choice is great! And your choice extends to colors as well. The proliferation of breeding programs has provided customers with everything from those with no black (amels) to small amounts of black (hypo), without yellow (axanthic) to very light to very dark. The amount of pink background color that increases with age has been amplified in many strains. Even the contrast in the red tail has been targeted.
Boas require proper temperatures, usually provided by an under tank (or under cage) heat mat of some type. Their tropical (or sometimes, subtropical) nature is generally satisfied with temps of around 70 – 80F or so on the cool side, and a nice basking area of 90 - 95 on the warm side. About the only caution with boas is that they seem to be prone to respiratory problems if you neglect the proper warmth. They are not nearly as forgiving of cool temperatures as colubrids are. However, I would assume that races from the extreme northern and southern edges of their range would tolerate temporary low temperatures much better than the tropical specimens that have evolved in northern South America and Central America. If you are prone to power outages, you might consider keeping a supply of the chemical hand-warmers similar to those used for shipping reptiles in winter.
The cage furniture can be simple – a heavy water bowl that can’t be tipped, a climbing branch (especially for juvenile boas), a thermometer, and substrate. Juveniles might enjoy a hide box as well. I prefer shredded cypress mulch for my tropical boas and pythons, but others have successfully used everything from newspaper to outdoor carpet. Just be sure to avoid cedar for any reptile. Pine also has some volatile oils in it, although not as much as cedar. It is best to avoid any wood products that strongly smell of resinous or oily content.
The boa dinner menu will consist of rodents for the most part. Many boas will eat birds of the appropriate size as well, and a few have even consumed cold-blooded prey. But the proper sized rodent can range from a fuzzy mouse to a rabbit, and if raised on a complete diet, rodent prey will supply all of the nutritional needs of your pet.
What about ball pythons (Python regius)? Many probably feel that these African natives actually deserve the title of “best beginner boid”. And I was tempted to elevate them to #1, if only because I keep and breed them myself, and I really like some of the colors and patterns available. Ball pythons possess most of the positive attributes of boas – and are a ‘perfect’ medium size (usually around 3’ – 5’), easy to house, keep and breed, are generally docile, affordable, with lots of variety available. The only reason I would recommend boas over them is because adult balls can have rather unusual feeding habits, and it can drive keepers crazy!
Baby ball pythons are usually eating machines! It is LOTS of fun to feed them and watch them grow, almost by the day it sometimes seems! I start my babies on ‘squinter’ or hopper mice (just starting to open their eyes and run around some). They rapidly graduate to weaned mice, retired breeders, and then rats. But once they get to ‘puberty’, at around 800 – 1200 grams or so, they suddenly change and become moody ‘teenagers’ that may decide to go on a several month long fast before returning to gorging themselves again. This ‘feast or famine’ behavior continues lifelong for many of them. Although some will become good feeders on frozen / thawed rodents, you will probably end up discarding more thawed food than you would for other species. And some may refuse thawed food entirely, demanding live only. I have switched to feeding live food to my adult BPs because I got tired of throwing out thawed rats.
Other than their sometimes bizarre feeding routines, balls are very much like smaller (4 – 6’) boas in their requirements. Their metabolism is rather slow, so skipping meals for months at a time has little impact on their girths. If you can deal with a sometimes finicky feeder, want a docile couch potato that will probably hang around your neck while you watch TV, and a species that can be purchased in designer colors to fit in with your décor, then a captive-born baby ball python may be exactly what you want!
My third choice of medium to large size species is the carpet python (Morelia spilota ssp.) from Australia and New Guinea. They tend to be a little more nervous than the previous two offerings, but usually settle down nicely with gentle handling. They do offer some choice in size, ranging from 5 – 6’ jungle carpets with their often bright yellow and black contrasting pattern, to the larger 6 – 8’ coastal varieties, with their more reddish -brown hues. But take note that some specimens have grown to over 10’ long! Check with the breeder concerning their bloodlines if you want a particular size.
An adult carpet may seem a little smaller than a similarly-sized boa constrictor or ball python because the carpet will be somewhat more slender. Some color and pattern varieties, such as the highly contrasting ‘jaguar’ mutation, are now available. Considering the yellows and red tones in some of the races, I suspect much brighter colors and more variety will be produced in the future.
Feeding will not vary much from the previously discussed ‘formula’ of an appropriately-sized rodent approximately once per week, perhaps slightly more often for babies, and a little less often for mature adults.
Housing and temperatures will also be similar to the first two species discussed. However, carpets are somewhat more arboreal. A taller cage with a well-placed branch or two may reward you with some entertainment as your pet explores its surroundings. Activity level is usually a little higher than for the previous species. If you want a fairly large, relatively active python, you may enjoy one of the carpet pythons.
Please keep in mind that the purpose of this article is only to whet your appetite and fuel your quest for more knowledge about whichever species seems right for you. Please be sure to research before purchase. Read several, good, comprehensive care sheets as a good starting point. Once you have decided on a particular species, please read the appropriate species books, and then ask questions online or at your local herpetological society. Here are some pics of the species I discussed: Colombian boa 
Super hypo Hog Island boa (courtesy of Gulf Coast Reptiles)
 Caramel orange ball python (courtesy of Cutting Edge Herps) 
Blue-eyed leucistic ball python (courtesy Cutting Edge Herps) 
Carpet python 
Jungle carpet python 
Keep tuned for the next installment:
Best Beginner Pet Snakes – Part III - Small Boids
Kathy Love
www.Cornutopia.com
S.W. Florida
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Last Login: 5/28/2009 10:00:33 AM
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All of those make great pets! I started out with a Ball python. Now i have a Ball python, Blood python and a Green Tree python. Many people say that Bloods don't make good first snakes but i beg to differ. Mine even as a baby was not nippy at all. and to this day has not struck at me unless i have a rat in the feeding tongs. I would say that Bloods wouldn't make a bad first snake. The carpet pythons are Very nice. But thats the only snake that i've ever been bitten by. Granted it was a baby btu alot of the baby carpets seem to be very nippy as opposed to the other snakes that you have listed. But thats just the ones i've been around.
~Give me a minute and I will change your mind, Give me a bullet and I will change your life!!!~ Slipknot 0.1 Red blood python 0.1 Sumatran Short Taild Python (Black Blood Python) 0.1 Green Tree Python 0.0.1 Ball Python
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Last Login: 6/11/2009 3:44:40 AM
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just wondering when best beginner snakes on small to medium boas and pythons will be posted
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Last Login: 5/13/2009 11:46:07 AM
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| thanks for your experienced comments , i thought it was very informative. i think everyone has thair own experiences with certain snakes and thinks its every one... because when i was looking to get my carpet python alot of people said thay weren t good pets but i have had mine since it was under a foot and now its almost four feet and i never had a problem yet. i also have seven different red tail boas,three ball pythons,an albino berm and a corn snake my goal is when thair big enough to breed them..wish me luck sincerly reptileking77
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| I love large constictors. My first snake was a ball python, really good begginer snake. Later I also got a Cal. Kingsnake and a Boa costricor, beleive that all are good snakes as long as they get proper care. For example, my kingsnake wasn't getting proper care before and when i got it, it was reall nippy and bit me 3 times. But now it is very docil and a good pet now since it is getting a proper diet and is handled often.
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Good day Mrs. love,
Love your inputs to the forum very informative and helpful indeed also love the books you have produced and published for the rest of us wanna be herpers. I have handled snakes both in captivity and in the wild and have found that they never cease to amaze and surprise me. I have one very special snake right now. She is a captive born rubber boa. She was from a female that i captured while I was in school and kept awhile for observation and she produced four babies. Brighteyes is now almost three feet long. She is special too me because she is the only Boid species native to the great NW where I grew up and still reside.
I have also owned a Rosy boa, two corns, garter snakes, and wild caught Northern Alligator lizards throughout my life. They have all taught me that much of what you read in many books does not always ring true. In fact I have found that each snake displays its own personalty and characteristics based on its surroundings and how it is treated. I have seen cases where some of these snakes you recommend have made very bad pets for some. In the inverse i have seen some snakes that been reported to be bad choices as pets are very well mannered and docile. I have been around some snakes that are suppose to be good pets that would rather make a pin cushion out of your hand than live up to their supposed gentile reputation. From my experience it is the individual that owns them and how they treat them that makes all the difference. I had a buddy in college that had two burmese pythons a nine foot male and a 12 foot female. The male was as tame as a kitten, so much so that he could take that snake just about anywhere, the female on the other hand was a beast she would hiss and strike at you anytime you got near its cage in his bedroom. He even had some nasty scares on his face where she had got her upper teeth in his forehead and her lower teeth into his chin, when he had taken her outside in his yard to get some sun and exercise. the male he had had since it was a baby and he handled it all the time and treated it nicely, the female had been purchased from someone else and along the way she had been abused by someone thus her bad temper. So much of how a snake behaves is due much in part by us the owners and handlers, as a saying goes: No bad snakes, just bad owners!
Let your husband know he does awesome photography!
Have an excellent day!
Patrick A Nesbit A.K.A. Sandboa
Slither For Your Lives!! Its A human type snake hunter!
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I would love to have a black-eyed leucistic!
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This is Melony, My Hypo Boa. She is the sweetest! Loves to hang out in the back yard!
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